RESIDENT FEATURE
MEET THE BOYS OF SUMMER! By Chatham Living Photos by John White & courtesy of Doug Chase
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he Chatham men’s softball league, now called the Bull-Lehman Men’s Softball League after its two founders, has been in existence for more than 50 years. Current records trace league champions back to 1969 when the Chatham Jaycees took the title. Past champions have included Paul’s Sunoco, owned by Chatham resident Paul Ness who still plays alongside his son Mike for the Charley’s Aunt team (winner of 4 of the previous 5 years), Flynn’s Tavern which is the predecessor to Towne Tavern and now River Grille, Knights of Columbus and Charlie Brown’s. All of these recognizable Chatham institutions have sponsored hundreds of players over the years, creating a common thread that ties together the town’s many neighborhoods, families and establishments. The current league consists of seven Chatham teams of 25 players each: Charley’s Aunt, Wine Traders, Chatham All Stars, Chatham Eskies, Griffin Alexander SOS, Swingers and River Grille.
Steve Coffey--coached youth baseball in town but missed playing the game, and brought up the idea of starting a softball team while we played wiffle ball in our neighborhood on Lincoln Avenue. I took the initiative of reaching out to Carol Nauta of Chatham Rec, and she recommended that I attend the next league meeting and come prepared with a list of at least 15 guys who would want to play. We reached out to other dads we knew, and quickly had a roster of interested players. Once Chatham Rec approved our entry, the next step
River Grille player/coach Doug Chase says that when the men first joined as Towne Tavern, it was a mixed MadisonChatham league with 10 teams, but after several years the Chatham teams returned to their roots with an allChatham league, switched to wooden bats and decided to play at a single venue: Shepard Kollock Field. As a result, the teams developed friendships and rivalries that last to this day.
Chatham Living did a Q and A with Doug Chase to learn a bit more: CL: How did the Towne Tavern (TT) team ever come about? Doug: Thirteen years ago, four of us in town who had little kids of similar ages-me, Andy Bergman, Joe Greiner, and 6 | Chatham Living
was finding a sponsor. Pete Schwab of the Towne Tavern was generous enough to help us out then, and he has never stopped supporting us since. CL: How many players has the TT had over the years? Doug: The number is really quite surprising. We have actually had 52 different players put on the TT uniform, although as of this year it is the River Grille uniform. We decided to finally recognize the new bar name after about 5 or 6 years! Our softball team has
